Spoke-machine



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

NEWELL NORTH, OF STOW TOWNSHIP, SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO.

SPOKE-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,677, dated September 12, 1854.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, NEWELL NORTH, of t-he township of Stow, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Machine for Planing Carriage- W'heel Spokes, (a caveat of which was duly filed in the confidential archives of the Patent Oilice, bearing date September 5, A. D. 1853,) which I denominate a Spoke- Planer and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the` annexed drawings, making a part of this specification in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through A, A, Fig. l, with the cutter arbors e, 0, and the belts a', e', c', m, removed, and the carriage C moved back until arrested by the stop 5, against the pin 5; Fig. 3 a plan of the end of the carriage C, showing the index and pawl g, b, and the ends of the guides m, a; Fig. 4 a perspective view of the guide or inclined plane ai; Fig. 5. a section of' the cutter arbor and fixtures C, and Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of cutters used in t-he same; Fig. l1 is a perspective view of a cutter used in the set a, and Fig. 12 a cutter used in the set E; Fig. 6' is a perspective view of the lever 2'; Fig. 8 a perspective view of the puppet center f, somewhat enlarged, and Fig. 7 is a section of the point of the same still more enlarged, the better to illustrate its construction.

Like characters refer to like parts in all of the drawings.

B, B, etc., is the main frame made of any suitable material, and in any desired form to suit the working parts. C is the carriage frame, D the swinging frame that supports the set of cutters and arbor al, and is hinged to the main frame B, by means of the rod b. E the swinging frame n one end of which is hung the cutter arbor c3, the opposite end being hinged to the main frame B by means of the rod al. The said rod d, also hinges the swinging frame F to the main frame B, and in the opposite end of the frame F is hung the set of cutters and arbor e2. Pulleys are seen at 1, 2 and 3, by which their respective arbors are driven. H, the drum that communicates 'motion to thecutters e, c, a, by means of the belts e', 0, a.

I is the pulley to which power is applied to communicate motion to the machine.

f, f, are the centers or holders in the carriage C, by which the s oke-timber is held firmly for the action of) the cutters.` The forked center f, has firmly fastened to its opposite end an index g, provided with'a cam crank g. The said center is firmly secured to the carriage frame C, by means of a journal bearing;` and the puppet center f, moves freely through a firm support h, that is fastened to the movable or adjustable cross bar G of the carriaUe; the said center is operated by means of the lever c', and the crank and screw rod j, the said lever i, being fastened to the cross bar G, by means of the fulcrum la; and the screw rod j, works in a nut 1", firmly fastened to the frame C.

. m is the guide or former which acts upon the swinging frame D, by means of the pin m', guiding the set of cutters a; the said pin m, is kept firmly` against the face of the former by the action of. the helical spring m, Fig. 2, which is firmly fastened to the main frame B, and the swinging frame D.

E, E, Fig. 2, are portions of the swinging frame E, and F, F, are portions of the swingingframe F. l

n n are hangers or fulcra that support the cross bar J, and pass freely through mortises inthe main frame B andconnect with the friction rollers 1, 11, which bear upon projections of the carriage frame C, holding it firmly on the ways of the main frame B.'

o is a helical spring.v interposed between the bar J and the end of the frame F, near the journal bearing of the cutter arbor e; and 0, o are helical springs interposed between the crossbar J, and the end of the swinging frame E, near the journal bearing of the cutter arbor c.

p, are screws that screw into the frame F, E, their heads bearing against the under sides of the guides a, a.

K, is a firm support (madein any desirable shape) frmly fastened to the main frame B, and branching into two parts at over the pin s', between the springs t, F'f, bet- .'V

ter seenfin Fig.y lv.` Set screwsmay be attached to regulate the stiffness of the s aid' springs; and india rubber springs or spring levers may be 'substituted Y.for the vsprings t, t, and u, orhelical springs properly combinedfwith suitable fixtures.

,e is arack firmly fastened to' the framev of the' carriage c, .and fw is a pinion fastened p toone endof Vthe shaftfthat supports the groovedwheelf, to workin the said rack; is .a small grooved pulley fastened to the endA ofthe shaft that supports the drum H. y i' o* Y zu, is the round beltor cord that communicates motion to thev pulley w, and pinion w. :'The pinion shaft has afvjournal bearing' near ythe pinion`w,yin the end of the lever y', whicliis fulcriimed to the main.

frameB, and connecting with the lever'y, K

* a, 'e,"are a belt and weight, one end of the belt-z, is firmly attached to the carriage C,

the said belt passing over' the friction roller e, in the standardm the lweiv lit The standard 2 x firmly fastene to the' 'main frame B; Y

"4: is 'a catch and pin to hold ,the pinion w in gear with thel'rack @,and 4'., Fig. 3, is afpin for disconnecting said catch when the ,carriage C, is fed through by' the' actionxof the f 51s a stop v'fastened to the mainframe B, and 5 a pin in the carraige C. In. operating45 inion lw.

the machine, the carriage C is movedk back until the pin 5 comes in cont-actwith the stop 5, bythe action of the belt and weight a, .2','01 other means. yThen a piece of timber lproperly prepared'is placedl between the centers f, f,the forked center f, entering.

` the buttv or large end of the spoke timber,

and the center f entering the small end of the same, and are pressed firmly into it by means ofthe screw rod and handle j .and

lever ,'the width of thespoke timber being perpendicular to the axis of thecutters o 'and e. VThen the pinion fw, (the machine being in motion) is thrown .in 'gear with the rack fv, by means of 'the'handle' y', which feeds cutters c, which plane iton two sides and' one edge, the surfaces Aplaned being'flat and at right angles with each other, andas it progresses it passes betweenthe springs t, "t", and over the spring u (better seen in Fig.

2)2' The said springst, t, press firmly against against the sides of the' spoke-tim# ber, and the spring u presses against the and connects ,withthe carriage and brings, the spoke timber in contact with the bottom edge ofl the same, ypreventing the spoke timber from vibrating during the action of the cutters. The springs t, t', and u l alwaysA have a smooth surface to bearnipon the spoke timber, given it by the action of the set of cutters c.' As'tlie carriage C progressesuthe spoke timber is brought in. contact with vthe cutters e and a, the cutters a,

noi-planing the spolge .only neary the base, tliescallop on .the sidegand'the cutters e rounding the spoke, or planing it to an oval yshape as far down asit is required to be a' rounded, and the set of cutters c' planing it the whole length'when the carriage C 'is fed througbfso that Athepin 4f shall strike the` catch 4 and throw the pinion w out-of gear with the rack b. vThen the qweight 2, willzdrawrthe carriage backragainst the stop 5,

as abovedescrbed; when-the spoke is turned half way around by means of the crank. g, when the pawl 6, is removed from the index g, and is held from turning lby means of said index Aand pawl. The cam ycrank g', strikes thejend'of thevguide Qf, pressing'it up` near the frame' Cof the Carriage.v This'lbeing done the pinion fw is again thrown in gear with the rack i), submitting: the spoke tim- :ber a ain to the a'ction'of the cutters, which comp etes Kthe operation," andthe spoke isl 1inished,"and removedfrom the machine by turning the handle j, in-theoppositedirec .tion fromv that 'turnedwlien the spoke was putv inThe" inde'k g, -is not, intendedv to lmake a whole revolution, but to be turned a half revolution back and'forth, a half'turn for each spoke planed.

The ,proiilef'of'the "former, orf guide-w,

Lagainst which thev pinl m', moves, ismadel such shapeVV asto guide rthe cutters @,to cut the scallop onthe side ofthe spoke near the base, the required form.v The depthk of the cut Vmay be varied by means of the wedges 4 7, A7, and' the bolt 7, which- ,passes l' through an elongated hole in thecross bar G. The

lcutters e, 0 arefguided byy the inclined planes or guides a, a', respectively, and give the taper to the spoke;r The taper may be increased by adjusting thevguides Q, Q', vby "turning the screws r, r', upv or vunscrewing them, and yviceversa the taper will be diminished. i p

The set screwsp, 19', are vfor regulating the cutters eiand 0, to vary the'width of thegspoke, andi also to guide them, as their headsmove along the Yundersideof the in` -clin'ed planes Q, Q. By unscrewing the screws p", p, the VVwidth o'f the spoke will be increased, and'by screwing themjin,`it will be diminished. `The cross bar G, supporting the puppetcenter' Iand the leve'r, may be adjusted along the carriage frame C, by

loosening .the nuts of the bolts, 8, 8 7,and

withdrawing the pins `8,from\the Ascrew rod 'y'. The 'cross barV Gr', may thenbe moved toward and from the forked center f', to vary the distance between the two centers for the purpose of accommodating them for spokes of diiferent lengths; the bolts andv screws 8, 8', 7 1", 7", pass along in their respective recesses in the carriage frame C, and guides m, Q, Q', and the pins 8", may be inserted in any of the holes in the screw rod j, to accommodate the position of the bar Gr.

Fig. t is a perspective view of the guide Q', showing the short inclined plane 9, cut in the same, and the hole 9' in the side, for the reception of the spiral spring Q", which is interposed between it and the carriage frame C, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, for the purpose of pressing the said guide from the said frame toward the guide Q, when the cam index crank g", is in the position seen in the drawings. When a spoke is put into the machine and fed through, when the guide Q' is in the position seen in the drawings, the` set screw 7', will move along the short inclined plane 9, Fig. 1i, and thus the pitch of the tenon on the edge of the ybutt end of the spoke will be given to it, by

the action of the cutters c, that plane the said edge of the spoke. And when the spoke is turned by means of the index and crank g', g", as herein above described, the cam crank g",.,will face the inclined plane Q', up close to the frame C, and then when the carriage is fed through the head of the screw r, will move along the straight and plane portion 9', of the inclined plane Q', Fig. 4, and plane the edge of the spoke straight. And when the cam crank g", is

turned back again, the helical spring Q" will force the guide Q' in the position seen in the drawings.

L, L, Fig. l, are the cutter knives that plane the sides of the spoke.

Fig. 10, is a perspective view of the same.

M, M', are the cutters that plane the edge of the spoke, and the figure 9, is a perspective view of the same.

The U or semioval shaped cutter N in the set E, may be cut in or made in two parts to produce the same result in use, if found desirable in practice, as represented by the dotted line in Fig. l2.

0', o", are disks to which the cutters L, L', are fastened; and they are prevented from turning around on the mandrel by means of splines or keys P, P', which are firmly fastened into the mandrels. The said disks may be adjusted to and from each other by means of the nuts P", P"', and held firmly by means of the tightening screws, It, R', by which means they may be adjusted to plane spokes of different thick nesses. And to plane spokes of different sizes and shapes, cutters in e and a, are used of a size and form to produce the desired pattern.

The sets of cutters c and e, by a modication of the construction of the machine,

might be made to pass over the top of the carriage C, and produce the same results.- But I think the plan adopted above preferable when single sets of cutters are used as above described, rendering it necessary to turn the spoke and submit it a second time to the action of the cutters before it is iinished. But I contemplate, and intend t0. build a machine containing six sets of cutters, instead of three as hereinabove described, with their necessary guides and fixtures, which will be only a multiplication or doubling some of the parts herein above described, with some slight modifications, and additions of some well known devices. y The cutters that plane the spoke to a rectangular shape and round it, c and c, would in this case be fastened to arbors standing perpendicular to the main frame B, the same as the set a; and each set c, e, being double and in close proximity with each other, would have to be geared together with gearing linked together in such manner that they might approach and recede from each other without the cutting knives clashing with each other, as the cutters on o-ne arbor would, in this way, mash in the spaces between" those on the other; that is to say, the double set c, would have to be geared together with linked gearing, and the double sets e, would have to be geared together with linked gearing for the purpose above mentioned. And the construction of the cutters c, would in this case, have to be somewhat modified to suit the case, and the cutters a, would have to be driven on arbors horizontal with the main frame B, in a similar manner to the cutters c e as seen in the accompanying drawings; but the arbors would not have to be geared together. And one set would haveto pass over the top side of t-he poppet center f, and the other would have to pass under the same, as the carriage C moved forward and back. The cutters being guided by formers, guides, or inclined planes attached to the carriage C, or its equivalent, formed like, or similarly to those herein above described, or in a shape which would be equivalent thereto in producing the desired effect.

By such a double combination of the principles and parts of the machine herein above described, the spoke timber would not have to be submitted to the action of the cutters but once, and consequently would not require the index and pawl g, 6, as the Spoke would not have to be turned over, it being completed by one movement of the carriage forward and back. In machines having single sets of cutters as represented by the accompanying drawings, and their descriptions, I shall in most cases in practice, use another set of cutters for scalloping the side of the spoke, which will occupy a position in a swinging frame, or its equivalent, by the side of the one D, or near it, which will operate on the opposite side of the center f from the set a. The object of this set of cutters Will be to give the spoke a better and more perfect shape. I do not intend to confine myself, in constructing the above described machine, to the eXact form and combination of parts as they relate to each other in position, so long as I obtain results by means precisely the same.

The nature of my invention consists in planing spokes longitudinally, by means of three or more sets of revolving cutters, the spoke timber being held by means ofcenters pressed in each end of the same, one a forked orV double center, and the other a puppet center, the said centers being supported in or fastened to a carriage, which moving, brings the timber to form the spoke in con'- tact With the cutters; the said cutters being hung in swinging frames or their equivalents, and the said cutters being guided by meansof inclined planes, guides or formers, attached to and moving With the said oarriage, to plane the spoke the required taper and form.

What I claim as my invention andL desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The indeX and cam crank g, g, in com- "bination with the forked center or holder f',

and the carriage C, or ,their equivalents, for the purpose set forth.

` Q. I claim the combination of the handle and rod y', and leverlz', and puppet center f,

and adjustable cross bar Gr, and screws 7', 1"; the same being combined With the carriage .frame C, and guides m, Q, Q', as herein above described, for the purpose set forth.

3. I claim the arrangement or relative position of the Vcutters e and a With respect to the set of cutters c, for the purpose set forth.

NEWELL NORTH.

v Witnesses: Y

G. W. GooDsELL, E. W. N. STARR. 

